Auburn to sit F Purifoy, C Wiley amid FBI investigation

Nov 2, 2017 - 7:11 PMAuburn forward Danjel Purifoy and center Austin Wiley will be sidelined indefinitely due to "potential eligibility issues," the school announced Thursday.

Their absences are presumably tied to the FBI investigation into college basketball corruption that led to the arrest of Auburn associate head coach Chuck Person and nine others.

Auburn opens its season against Norfolk State on Nov. 10.

"To avoid any potential eligibility issues, Auburn Athletics has decided to hold men's basketball players Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy out indefinitely," the school announced in a statement. "Because this is related to an ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further at this time."

Person is currently suspended without pay. The former Auburn star and longtime NBA player allegedly received $91,500 in payments to influence two unnamed Auburn players toward agents and financial advisors.

The announcement increased speculation that Purifoy and Wiley -- both sophomores -- are the Auburn players referred to as "Player-1" and "Player-2" in the indictment. Person is facing six charges for his actions over a 10-month span.

Purifoy, a 6-foot-7 starting forward, averaged 11.5 points last season. The 6-11 Wiley, who joined the team a month into the season, averaged 8.8 points and 4.7 rebounds as the starting center.